Replacing logs in north wall of gym

As 2017 winds down, we at the Herbster Community Club look back at the accomplishments of the year past and make plans for next. Reflecting on our achievements, we think about all the people it takes to make it happen, many of whom are seldom seen and unheralded. Thanks to all of you who donate your time and resources to help make the Herbster area better.

What did our club do for the community in 2017?

• Volunteers laid floor tile and installed commercial wall covering in the gym fry room
• Volunteers repaired the gym foyer ceiling and installed a new light fixture
• We hired Oulu Log Builders to replace wall logs and window sills in the north wall of the gym as well as window headers in the west wall of the gym
• Volunteers erected a new sign at the gym
• Volunteers erected a new tetherball post at the playground and surrounded it with a deep layer of sand to make a better playing surface
• Volunteers installed two new grills with circle pavers at the playground
• We purchased a children’s picnic table and two toy storage benches for the playground
• We purchased new U.S. and Wisconsin flags for the gym
• All expenses for the above were paid for by the Herbster Community Club

All of the above was done in addition to our standing activities including our Herbster Smelt Fry and Corn and Brat Fest fundraisers, highway cleanup, the hanging flower baskets you see around Herbster, the flower planters which are filled and tended at the volunteer’s expense, our free Community Cookout, the scholarship program, and although thankfully the service was not needed this past year, funeral lunches. As you can see, many people helping out in whatever way works for them can do good things.

This brings us to what we are planning for 2018. Oulu Log Builders, as well as others, have recommended that the topcoat on the logs of our Historic Log Gym be stripped and replaced with a product which would be better for the preservation of the logs. The topcoat that was used years ago does not allow the wood to breath so any moisture getting into the logs cannot get out, helping to cause decay as seen by the need for the recent replacement of logs. The job will involve blasting with sand, glass, or corn cob media, replacing the sealant between the logs, and restaining and recoating the logs. The Town of Clover has budgeted money to match funds with the Herbster Community Club to begin this work. At the rate we can raise funds compared to the projected cost of doing this work on the gym we can only expect to complete one fourth or one side of the building each year for the next four years.